The Internet has become increasingly popular with computer users. A common usage of the Internet is browsing the Internet's world-wide-web. The world-wide-web is a manner by which hyper linked content in a common format known as hypertext-markup-language (HTML) may be easily viewed by any computer user having access to the web, regardless of the type of the user's computer, as long as the computer has running thereon an HTML-compatible browser computer program. Such browser computer programs include Netscape Navigator and Microsoft Internet Explorer, available for computers running the Microsoft Windows operating system, as well as the Apple MacintoshOS operating system.
Content on the world-wide-web is organized into separate files, or "pages," where each page is accessible by a Universal Resource Locator (URL) address preceded by an "http:" moniker to specify a hypertext transport protocol. For example, the URL address "www.vallon.com" specifies one particular page, specifically the home page of Vallon, Inc. Each page may include links to other pages, such that all of the pages within the world-wide-web are linked into a vast "web" of interconnected content. Generally speaking, all the pages having the identical prefatory URL address are said to constitute the web site at that address.
As companies, universities and individuals have set up their own web sites, the world-wide-web has become an invaluable resource for finding information. However, the creation of web pages is potentially an arduous task. A programmer proficient in HTML is necessary to construct the individual pages. A graphics artist is necessary to develop the art work to appear on those pages. A writer is necessary to write the text appearing with the art work. For a very complicated web site, the development thereof may require the coordination of the efforts of many different individuals.
A limited solution is provided by web site creation computer programs such as Microsoft FrontPage. Such computer programs permit a user to select among stock art work for web pages, type in the text to appear with the art work on the web pages, and determine the layout of each web page and the linking of the web pages. However, even such web site creation computer programs are too complex for many users to easily create a web site. Moreover, such web sites do not by themselves facilitate the publication of the web site onto the world-wide-web such that the site is viewable to the public in general.
Computer consultants thus have begun to sell their services to create web sites for their clients--many such consultants themselves using web site creation computer programs like Microsoft FrontPage to create these web sites. However, utilizing consultants is an expensive alternative that typically only large companies can afford. The average consumer or small business wishing to create and publish a web site, for example, may find it too expensive to retain a consultant to develop the web site.
One reason why computer consultants are an expensive alternative to the creation and publication of web sites is that their services are very customized to their individual customers. A given consultant or consulting team may start from scratch to collectively develop the site. The consulting team may include writers, programmers and artists that interact closely as a cohesive unit to together produce a web site. Frequently, the writer may find herself waiting for the programmer before she can continue her work, while the programmer is waiting for the artist before he can perform his task, etc. The work flow of web site development as currently found in the prior art, therefore, is an inefficient and expensive process.